Tag Archives: healing

Any type of change has the potential to be uncomfortable and even difficult, but a change in a relationship often triggers a suffering that is universal. We’ve all had romantic relationships that end in heartbreak, friendships that dissipate, loved ones whose lives end while we remain living.

We remain living.

During and after a loss of a relationship, life keeps on moving and sometimes we struggle to keep up. The grief of no longer having the person’s company, knowing that plans that you’d made before the loss will no longer manifest, the reality that someone in whom you found solace in is no longer available to you, these are all factors that you are left to confront.

I woke up several weeks ago to a couple of missed calls from a friend and a text that urged me to call back. When I did call back, though, my friend could not finish a complete sentence before tears consumed her. I managed to make out that her long-term relationship was over; he had left. She was in the middle of the rawness of loss and because she was miles and miles away in another country, I could not hold her. But, I could still support her, love her, and remind her.

If there was an award for most fallacious clichés, then this one would be making its way to the podium to accept the winning trophy. Words do have the power to hurt, and they are the most common weapon used when we are entrenched in anger; some spoken words remain with us for the rest of our lives. To hurt with words is common, it’s easy, everyone has done it, intentionally or not.